Left OHHS at end of sophomore year when my father was transferred to New Orleans. I graduated from De La Salle HS there and went on to the Naval Academy, followed by flight school and a thirty year career as a naval aviator. Had some very interesting tours -- Google “Joseph Mazza Antarctica” for a sampling!

When I retired from the Navy in 1995 I was Professor of Naval Science at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, which is to say I ran the NROTC program there. After leaving CMU I parlayed a masters degree in Operations Research into a job with the City of Baltimore to set up an analysis unit to look for efficiencies in running a city government. One thing led to another and I ultimately became Baltimore's chief of procurement before retiring for the second time in the summer of 2012. So I am now officially a triple-dipping man of leisure! We're trying to decide where to settle down; my wife Danielle is a naturalized California girl (we had several tours out there) and longs to return, but I’m an East Coast kinda guy and have grown to love Pittsburgh. We’ll see…

I still fly recreationally. We own a small airplane that we really enjoy for trips, including flying to the Bahamas every spring. It makes getting to the laid back out islands (which we prefer to the more frenetic Nassau and Freeport) much easier (and faster!) than having to change to a series of ever smaller commercial carriers to get to them. Owning a plane makes no economic sense whatsoever (don’t we know it!), but having one is fun and gives us a huge amount of flexibility -- plus it never leaves without us and we don’t have to take our shoes off before we get in! It also comes with a built-in social life among the tight knit and international group of fellow owners of this somewhat exotic French-built airplane.

Happy memories of the band trip to Chicago. When we moved to New Orleans I applied to be in the band at the first high school I attended there. The band leader didn’t seem too enthusiastic about it and said he might have an old bass clarinet around that I could use. While signing me up he asked where I had gone to school previously, and when I said Oxon Hill his whole attitude changed. He had been at Chicago with the band from New Orleans (Alcee Fortier) and had heard our concert! In short order I had a new instrument and was given first chair – without an audition (fortunately)! Small world.

I fondly remember the good friends and social life of the River Ridge gang. Great time of life, wasn't it?

Hi MaryEllen. Glad to see you sussessful and prospering. I don’t know if you’ve been following the Message Forum, but Doug Lackey reminded me of a late night adventure we all had meeting up on the steps of Thomas Addison in the dead of night during a sleep over you girls had I think at Susan Russ’s house. Doug and I got busted on the way home by my parents who noticed me missing. Fun days!